…………………………………and action replays.

The ups and downs of being a fan.

Observant readers will have noticed that  I enjoy American sport. Well, when you are over there you can’t ignore it. It’s everywhere. On TV, in the newspapers and on big screens in the bars. Everybody seems to have opinions about their team whether they follow NBA, NHL, MLB or NFL.

I have become a fan of the National Hockey League, i.e. ice hockey. It is a very fast moving sport with lots of skills and plenty of collisions. It attracts families who are keen to spend an evening out together.

During my trip I enjoyed 2 contests. At the Little Caesars Arena I saw Detroit Redwings host Vancouver Canucks. The Redwings held a 2-0 advantage going into the third and final period but their Canadian foes were not finished and hit the net 5 times without reply. Quite remarkable!

Back in Chicago I saw the Blackhawks thrash the LA Kings by 5 goals to 1.

Meanwhile my favourite NFL team the Chicago Bears have gone into hibernation for the winter. They were demolished by the New Orleans Saints. A score of Bears 25 Saints 36 did not reflect how easily the Saints won. A week later it was Bears 16 LA Chargers 17. The Bears missed a field goal with only 3 seconds left on the clock.

Drat and double drat!

Attending games in America is expensive. Sometimes very expensive. Tickets may cost several hundred dollars and it is difficult for families to see games together. Unlike the UK most fans do not attend every game. Many fans just see a couple of games each season so when they do go to a game they make the most of their day out

At the Bears v Saints game I enjoyed the company of Dave and Shelly. Dave gave me lots of advice and encouragement about when”to make some noise”. Thank you both.

In Chicago I  met Elliot. He attended the Bears v Chargers game. Elliot lives in De Pere, a small town in Wisconsin. To see the game Elliot drove around 100 miles  from his home to the Amtrack station in Milwaukee where he parked his pick up truck. From there he took the train to Chicago and stayed overnight. When you make such an effort and your team loses on the last play of the game it is a very frustrating, especially when you are a Bears fan living close to Green Bay, home of the Packers. I hope that you arrived home safely Elliot.

I also hope that Jake sees this blog. I met him on the brown line train to Irving Park. We had a good natter about all sorts of sports, including college football, a great passion of Jake’s.

American sports fans are great company. It does not matter which team you support you are made to feel very welcome and to enjoy the sport whatever the result.

Fuel up at Yolk and your day will be off to a great start.

Author and nutritionist Adelle Davis suggested that we should “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. Lots of people agree that breakfast is the most important meal of all.  Having a tasty and healthy breakfast can give you the energy and well being to cope with your day.

Whilst I was in Chicago I had some cracking breakfasts at Yolk on South Michigan Avenue. The atmosphere was friendly, the service was fast and there were many delicious choices on the menu. Eating here was a great way to start my day.

I had a different meal every time I called. Here are some of them.

Yolk has outlets in several cities in the USA.

At Michigan Avenue, Cynthia and Shar will welcome you with great food and big smiles.

Try the local brews and you will be a winner.

Milwaukee is home to many breweries. It has a rich tradition of brewing beers that are consumed in the United States and all over the world. It is an industry that has survived and thrived despite the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment during the last century.

I visited the Lakefront Brewery Company, based in a former coal powered power station by the Milwaukee River. There, along with other visitors I was given a tour of the site by Adam who not only explained the process of producing the beer but also the fascinating story of how the Lakefront Brewery has grown into one of Milwaukee’s must see attractions.

Visitors are given beer tokens that they are encouraged to spend during their tour. Not that I needed any encouragement. All of the beers produced here are fantastic. and includes a gluten free variety called New Grist. I remember having a wonderful Cream City Wheat Ale which complimented the fish and chips that I enjoyed after my tour. I had my meal in the large beer hall which is a venue that is very popular with people who live in “Brew City”.

On my tour I was joined by Ben, Jonathan and Derek who had travelled from Orange County, California.

I also had a good yarn with Ron, a local citizen who briefed me about the history of brewing in the region and especially the influence of German settlers.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Jim Kilsch, a co founder of the enterprise and also Terre who has her own business producing chilli mixes. I had my photograph taken with Jim and Terre but the lady who used my camera did not press the button hard enough so I don’t have an image of this meeting. Sorry Jim and Terre.

Never mind. Milwaukee has many things for me to see so I will return.

Happy days!

You can’t beat growing your own.

Built on the site of Gestapo headquarters and also where SS leaders met. This museum and also The Foundation Memorial To The Murdered Jews Of Europe document the lives of individuals and families who were victims of Nazi persecution.

Dusseldorf tame big city rivals.

I really wanted to visit The Olympic Stadium. It is one of the world’s most famous sporting venues. It was home to the 1936 Olympic Games. Now it is home to Hertha BSC.

Hertha were hosting Fortuna Dusseldorf. Both teams are in the middle of the Bundesliga. It is a German equivalent of West Ham versus Leicester City.

Seeing the stadium was very exciting. Much of its original structure remains including its towers, an outdoor swimming pool and a large area called the Maifeld which was used for equestrian events and political rallies. It was easy to imagine how the stadium must have looked when Jesse Owens won four gold medals.

The atmosphere was fantastic. Lots of scarves, flags, banners and flares. Everybody was relaxed. Before kick off Hertha fans sing their adopted club song, “Sailing”, the Rod Stewart version.

There was quite a lot of police officers on duty. Many were armed. Despite this a platoon of Yam Yams broke through lines and made it all the way to the stadium.

Fortuna   were the best team and  deservedly won the contest 2-1. There could have been more goals but I can’t complain. It was a great way to spend Saturday afternoon.

Herr Ulrich would be pleased.